The Remnant Chronicles
by Raging Archon
Summary: The world is changing. Wild earthquakes are ravaging Remnant, and word spreads of an end of days. The Hour of Twilight is at hand, yet in order to understand the events to come, one must go back to the past.
1. Primordial Remnant

**Hello my loyal followers, welcome to the start of a fic series (Yes, you read right) that I hope will be very successful. The series is a Warcraft/RWBY crossover that overall will be known as _The Hour of Twilight_ and will be split into five different volumes. This fic however, is not part of the five. This is more of a history book of sorts, meant to lay out the lore for this AU, and believe me, it's quite heavily AU, so much so that I felt the need to write this in the first place. For Warcraft fans think of it like the _WoW Chronicle_ but not as big, and for RWBY fans think of it like an extended session of _World of Remnant_. If it helps with reading this, then I would definitely listen to some ambient WoW or RWBY music, to help set the mood. Now, on with the show!**

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 **Chapter One: Primordial Remnant**

In the beginning, there was Light and Void. The Light was benevolent in nature, spreading waves of endless joy across the Great Dark Beyond. In stark contrast, the Void was a force of darkness, vampiric in nature, it sucked the life out of all living things in its path, causing stars to sizzle out and die. For eternity, these two forces, opposite sides of the same coin, clashed endlessly, neither gaining nor losing ground in their timeless conflict. These conflicts were chaotic in nature, the Light and Void bleeding together to cause cosmic explosions, rupturing the very fabric of creation.

It was within these explosions that the Universe as we know it, was born.

In the greatest of these events, matter fused together, creating worlds of endless numbers. But it was one of these worlds that stood out, one that was different, even to those that contained the slumbering spirit of a Titan. A world with a semi-shattered Moon, a world called Remnant.

Remnant for the most part, was like any other world. Like all other worlds, it was dominated by the four Elemental Spirits; Air, Earth, Fire and Water. These primal beings could do great good, but they could also do great evil, and a darkness had seeped into their hearts and turned their thoughts to destruction. For when Remnant first began to form, something terrible had been locked inside. A spark of Void energy had found its way to the centre of the world, and there it began to fester.

As previously stated, the Void was vampiric and needed to feed, and it found a suitable source of food inside the young world. As mentioned, the four Elemental Spirits ruled, but as with all worlds, they were balanced by the fifth Element: the Spirit of Life. If the Spirit of Life was overwhelming, the Elements were passive and lacked form, but conversely, if the Spirit of Life was too weak, the Elements were destructive and chaotic. And the Void Spark had devoured much of the fifth Element.

With no Spirit of Life to counter them, the four Elements raged cataclysmic wars with one another. Remnant was their battleground, and the leaders of the Elementals were extremely destructive. Ragnaros, known as the Firelord, was brash and impulsive, charging headlong into battle and crushing the bodies of lesser Elementals with his great Hammer, _Sulfuras_. Al'Akir, known as the Windlord, lacked the physical strength of the other Elementals, but he was cunning, pitting his foes against one another and striking them down when he was confident he could win. Therazane, known as the Stonemother, was patient, taking refuge in her mountain citadels and crashing down upon her hapless enemies like an avalanche. Neptulon, known as the Tidehunter, was wise and cunning, often drowning his enemies beneath great tidal waves when his foes were too concerned with one another to notice his scheming.

And so, the Elemental War continued unabated, each battle fought changing the face of Remnant as it is known today. That is, until the arrival of a new challenger, hailing from the stars: the Titan Pantheon.

The Titans were born from slumbering spirits known as _World Souls_ , found throughout numerous planets within the Great Dark Beyond. They travelled the cosmos, bringing balance and order to the Universe in the hopes of awakening more of their kin. When they came across Remnant, they saw a world in distress. Whilst it did not house a World Soul, it was their duty to nurture the world regardless, in the hopes that life would one day flourish.

As they tried to calm the raging Elements on Remnant, they were puzzled at how aggressive the Spirits were. No matter how hard they tried to calm the Elements, they always resisted. Immediately, they knew that something was wrong with the Planet, but set about trying to calm the Elements first before investigating. After an age of conflict, the Titans finally succeeded in calming the Elements, segregating them across the world in four different locales.

Ragnaros the Firelord claimed the western Deserts of the continent Sanus, whilst Therazane the Stonemother claimed the rocky eastern reaches of the same landmass. Neptulon the Tidehunter claimed the craggy coasts of the continent Animus as his domain, and Al'Akir the Windlord claimed the polar caps of the northern continent of Solitas.

With the Elementals in check, the Pantheon began to investigate the cause of the strife, and were troubled by what they found. Deep within the world was a Void Spark, which had grown fat and volatile from the strife of the Elemental War, and had nearly consumed the entirety of the fifth Element. At this time in history, the Pantheon knew not of the deadly intent of the Void Lords, the masters behind this dark power, but knew they could not stand by and let the corruption fester.

So, as they placed their great machines and forges on the world, they also created two beings known as Titan-Forged, beings of immense strength and power. The first was called 'Jacovitch', a metal skinned _Aesir_ , whilst the second was called 'Wilhym', a stone skinned _Vanir_. Their charge was to watch the world and made sure that life flourished, whilst their second charge was to keep vigil on the Void Spark that had now become dormant, and take necessary action should it resurface.

Before leaving, the Pantheon called upon one of the Constellar, a celestial race that was perhaps as old, if not older, then the Titans themselves. They instructed one of their number to safeguard Remnant, and protect it from both internal and external threats. And so the Pantheon left, leaving the ordering of the world to the two Titan-Forged.

For millennia, the two Titan-Forged watched over the world from their citadels, watching both as myriad life-forms began to flourish, whilst also watching out for any resurgence of the Void. Eventually, two notable races emerged, two races that immediately piqued the interest of the two Titan-Forged: Trolls and Humans.

The Trolls were tall creatures, and savage too. They flocked together in small communities called 'Tribes', and were by far the more common of the two races. Whilst Trolls were of average intelligence, they were both cunning and strong, even bringing stronger and more savage beasts to heel. Perhaps the most peculiar fact though, is their uncanny ability to regenerate at a rapid rate, including in some cases, regrowing entire amputated body parts.

On the other hand, Humans were at the time, meek creatures, hiding in the shadows lest they become hunted. Despite this however, the Humans had a knack for building tools, and were infamously adaptive, even creating small wooden settlements, the very first Human villages.

At the sight of the two species, the Titan-Forged made it their charge to watch over the races, believing that these two species, whilst completely different, could help forge the world into a greater place in the cosmos. But the Titan-Forged weren't the only ones to notice the two new species, for they had also earned the ire of the Elemental Lords.

The Four Lords met in secret, discussing the arrival of these new races, as well as what it meant for them. They came to the ultimatum that the Titan-Forged would gift these new races their lands, lands that had rightfully belonged to them before these foreign invaders claimed it. And so the Elements set out to undo all that the Titans had created.

A new Elemental War began, but this time, the Elements fought united against Humanity and Troll-kind. Raging tempests brought down the wrath of the heavens on the primitive races, raging infernos consumed flesh and bone, earthquakes swallowed entire villages and tsunamis snuffed out the sparks of life.

The Titan-Forged were quick to do battle, destroying the forms of many Elementals, but in the end they were two against infinity. The Elemental Lords themselves dealt the killing blows, Jacovitch's metal form being pinned down by the Stonemother's rocks whilst the Tidehunter drowned him, and Wilhym being plucked from the earth by one of Al'Akir's tornadoes before being burned alive by the flames of Ragnaros.

With their defenders dead, nothing could hold back the stem of the Elements. And with this new conflict emerged a new more well known threat. With the conflict renewed, the Void Spark reignited, spurred on by the panic of the two races. The Void soon began to seep through the worlds crust, causing physical manifestations to appear. These manifestations took on many shapes and forms, but all were drawn to negative emotions like moths to a flame, and left only death in their wake. They were the Creatures of Grimm, and they were the very will of the Void.

And so it was that Humanity and Troll-kind were embroiled in a war on two fronts, facing off against both the Elements and the new threat of the Grimm. In these times, both cultures would deal with the conflict in their own ways, even forgetting the existence of one another.

The Trolls realised that divided, they would stand no chance against the Elementals and the Grimm, and so united under the banner of the wise and powerful _Zandalar_ _i_ Tribe, and migrated over the vast oceans to the island continent of Menagerie, where they built the impressive stone city known as _Zuldazar_. They were constantly harassed by the Elementals and the Grimm, but their impressive stonework, and their new knowledge of a dark and mystical art known as 'voodoo', allowed them to live on.

The Humans however, carried on to live as they always did. Their small settlements were always alert, watching out for both raging Elementals and Grimm. Some small tribes did unite together, but never on the same scale as the Trolls did.

For a time, it seemed as though the Elemental Lords would get their way...were it not for the change of heart of four Elemental Spirits known, quite ironically, as the Furies. Gordawg, Fury of Earth, Aborius, Fury of Water, Incineratus, Fury of Fire, and Kalandrios, Fury of Air, rebelled against their masters, fearing that the extinction of the mortal races would lead to grave consequences.

Any initial attempt to communicate with the flesh and blood races were unsuccessful, the Trolls regarding them with open hostility whilst the Humans merely fled from their presence. Their luck changed however in the aftermath of dire circumstances.

Whilst traversing the world, they came across a small Human settlement that was being ravaged by the Grimm. The Furies leapt into combat, using their awesome powers to crush the Grimm, but it was seemingly too late. All in the village had been slaughtered to the last babe...all except one. They had discovered the crying body of an infant boy, who had been successfully hidden by the Humans. Realising that there was no greater opportunity, the Furies took the child in as their own.

They retreated to their sanctuary, known as the Throne of the Elements, and they taught the child how to master the Elements. They taught the child how to use the Elements to both preserve and to destroy, and as he grew, so too did his mastery.

Finally, when they believed the child to be ready, they taught him the groundwork for a powerful spell, that would rip the Elementals from their plane of existence and exile them to a realm fitting of their nature, whilst also providing Humanity with a weapon with which to combat the Grimm. No Elemental would be able to escape the spell, and this fact frightened the child. He knew that if all Elementals were affected, then so too would the Furies.

The Furies however, reassured the child, telling him that as long as he remembers them, they will never leave him. Confident in his decision, he began to cast the great spell, but it did not go unnoticed. The Elemental Lords felt the rush of magic ready to engulf their armies, and converged on the source. There, the Furies did battle with the Elemental Lords, but they could only delay, not vanquish. As the Furies physical forms were destroyed, their essence and minds melded with the child, giving him more strength to call upon.

And as the Elemental Lords prepared to invoke their full wrath upon the child, he finished the spell, ripping the Elementals from all over the worlds into the Elemental Planes we now know as; the Firelands, the Skywall, Deepholm and the Abyssal Maw. As the Elemental Lords were vanquished, the child discovered four curious relics in their place.

In the wake of Al'Akir, he saw the power of knowledge, flowing around within a metal orb like a swirling storm. Where Ragnaros once stood, he saw the power of Destruction, great flames coursing through the cage, threatening to break free. In Therazane's place, he saw the power to create, grains of dirt forming small mounds of earth, ready to be forged into many things. And where Neptulon had been banished, he saw the power to choose, water teeming in and out of its metal cage.

As he observed the Relics, the voice of the Furies spoke to him, telling him that these four Relics were not only a gift to Humanity, but also a burden. With them came great power, but if shattered, they will release the Elements from their prison, and this time, there would be nothing to stop them. And so, the child entered exile, choosing to live a life of solitude in order to protect Humanity from its greatest enemy: itself.

Across the world, where Elementals had fallen, there were strange crystals in their wake. Humanity began to gather this strange substance, and soon discovered the latent power within. Using this new-found 'Dust', Humanity quickly began to find ways to combat the creatures of Grimm, and Humanity would rise from the ashes of war, and flourish for many years to come.

As Humanity began to leave the shadows, the child watched, forever guarding the relics. As time passed, he began to know only bitterness and sorrow, the only family he had ever known taken from him. And so he remained much the same, until by chance, he was greeted by four young Maidens.


	2. The Maiden's and the Dragonflights

**Chapter 2: The Maiden's and the Dragonflights**

With the Elements now banished to their respective planes, and the threat of the Grimm for the time subsided, Humanity finally had a chance to sit back and breathe. But they would not sit idle for long. Soon, their minds turned to ensuring their survival for even with the magic of this new Dust, it could not stave off enemies such as hunger and sickness. And so Humanity began to build its civilisation from the ashes, progressing at an admittedly slow, but nonetheless steady pace.

As Humanity continued to build, the child that had been fostered by the Furies watched in silence. He had forsaken Humanity long ago, and to come back now with these four terrible gifts would be a burden not even he could shoulder. And so he entered exile, turning his back on all, treating nearly everyone he met with open hostility. Such hostility earned him the title of 'the Wizard', for he would scare off intruders with wild magic, completely destroying any who did not heed his warnings.

Some claimed that this Wizard was indeed the creator of the Grimm, a Grimm Father of sorts, and he lives now in despair since his 'children' have failed to break Humanity. Some even claimed that his unnaturally long life was due to the connection with the Grimm, claiming he was sustained on the blood of their victims. Of course, the true reason for his long life was due to the unbreakable spirits of the Furies within him, which coursed through his soul, giving life.

But the Wizard's despair had blinded him to the lessons of his former family, and he would remain such forever. Until, by chance, he was greeted by four young sisters.

On one fateful day, he was greeted by a young maiden at different intervals. With each maiden came a lesson, a lesson that made him remember the days of old, when the Furies had taught him such lessons. And it was then, that he sought to gift them with the same lessons.

To each maiden, he imparted a gift: the essence of the four Furies. Each Spirit bound itself to one of the maidens, and each found they had mastery over a certain Element. And thus, the Four Maiden's were created. The Maiden's thanked the Wizard for their gifts, promising to return to him each year on this very day. But before they left, the Wizard had one final charge to give them: the Relics.

He realised that his life, whilst long, would soon run out, leaving the Relics unguarded. If such a thing were to happen, they could fall into malicious hands, and the Elemental Lord's would be free to sow chaos and death. And so each Maiden also bore a Relic, in the hopes that they would succeed, where the Wizard would eventually falter.

The Maiden's, as one would expect, did not keep their powers a secret and live lives of solitude as the Wizard had. Instead, they returned to their village, flaunting their new gifts, much to the wonder and delight of the villagers. The Maiden's soon became famous across the whole of Remnant, bringing death to the Grimm wherever they walked. And, as promised, each year they would return to the Wizard for council, having grown older and wiser.

As the years passed, the Maiden's learned of dire news deep in the western parts of the world, far above even Sanus, of a new continent that travellers had settled named 'the Dragon Lands', due in part of its dragon like shape and of the scaled beasts that lived there known only as 'Proto Dragons'. News from colonists had reached the ears of the main land, bringing ill news of an exceptionally powerful Grimm, that had ravaged the settlements there, slaying all in its path.

The Maiden's knew it was only a matter of time before this Grimm made its way towards the mainland villages, and put Humanity at risk once more. And so they travelled to this strange new continent, to deal with the threat once and for all. Yet what they found, surprised them.

As they arrived, they watched as the mighty Grimm, that had swallowed towns in whole bites and whose roar could be heard from the other side of Animus, was killed not by an army, but by five Proto Dragons.

These bestial, yet surprisingly intelligent creatures had succeeded where an army, however small, had failed. Not only that, but the five Proto Dragons, despite being obviously very different to one another in more than just shape and colour, had worked as one, their unity reminiscent of that of the Maiden's.

So they returned to the Wizard, telling them what they had seen, and then they told the Wizard what they intended to do: they would impart a portion of their power to the five Proto Dragons. They theorised that with more guardians of Remnant, the world would be a better place. The Wizard did not agree. Whilst he commended the Proto Dragons bravery, they were mere beasts. How did the Maiden's know that the Dragons would be able to perceive right from wrong? Or worse, what if the Dragons weren't as benevolent as they appeared, and used their new powers to enslave mankind?

But it soon became clear that his pleas would fall upon deaf ears, and he chose not to interfere, only asking that they accepted the consequence of their actions.

And so, the Maiden's returned to the Dragon Lands and found the lairs of the five Proto Dragons. They made their offer, asking them to swear that they would use their powers only to safeguard the world of man, not enslave it. The Proto Dragons agreed, and thus, the Maiden's empowered them.

First, they empowered the mighty red wyrm Alexstrasza, naming her the Life-Binder. They gave her mastery over life itself, ensuring that she would do nothing to upset the very balance of life. Next her sister, the green wyrm Ysera, was given power over the natural world, naming her the Dreamer. Next, the witty and clever blue wyrm Malygos was granted the title of Spellweaver, giving him dominion over magic itself. The bronze wyrm Nozdormu, was named the Timeless One, and given mastery over the time-lines, ensuring that the proper flow of time assumed its course. And finally Neltharion, the black wyrm and without a doubt the most powerful of the five, was charged with safeguarding the earth itself, and was titled thereafter as the Earthwarder.

With these new powers came new forms, transforming the Proto Dragons into majestic creatures, larger than any Grimm to date. Henceforth, they were known as the Dragon Aspects, and Alexstrasza, in honour of her courage and dedication, was named the Dragon Queen. In order to help in their task, the Maiden's used their powers to alter thousands of Proto Dragon eggs. When they hatched, these whelplings would not be Proto Dragons, but true Dragons, each one a different colour to represent which Aspect they served. A small number of other Proto Dragons were altered as well, transforming into adult Dragons. These few would serve as the Aspects first Consorts, and would also serve as advisor's and confidants to them.

And so, the Aspects and their flights departed the Dragon Lands, settling all across of Remnant. Alexstrasza and her Red Dragonflight travelled to the land known now as Vale, settling deep within the highlands. Ysera and her Green Dragonflight travelled to Mistral, settling in the forest jungles of the land. Malygos and his Blue Dragonflight travelled to Atlas, having developed a love for the cool places of the world. Neltharion and his Black Dragonflight travelled to Vacuo, settling deep within the deserts of the land. And Nozdormu and his Bronze Dragonflight travelled to Menagerie, living a life of solitude in the desert sands.

And so, the Maiden's and the Dragonflights worked together, bringing balance and harmony to the world. The Dragon Aspects would also continue to hold their ideal of unity, always meeting with one another on regular basis. On the opposite side of the coin, the Maiden's turned less to the Wizard for advise, turning now to the immensely powerful Aspects. As the years passed, new Maiden's would arise to take up the mantle of responsibility, and each new generation would turn less to the Wizard for advise then the last, until completely forgetting him entirely. But the Wizard did not forget them, and always kept an eye on the Maiden's even if they didn't know.

The Dragon Aspects continued to work together, always upholding their millennia old ideal of unity. And so one can imagine the devestation caused when this ideal was shattered by their greatest champion.

Being tied to the very earth itself, Neltharion bore the very weight of the world on his shoulders. He soon began to believe that he had been tricked into accepting the bargain, and internally, he grew bitter. Such bitterness made him an ample opportunity for the Void Spark deep within Remnant, and a vile Void Lord known as Annihilon took advantage of such bitterness.

Annihilon began to whisper dark thoughts into Neltharion's mind, twisting and turning it. Neltharion, his mind warped beyond repair, soon believed that Humanity threatened the very balance of the world with their recklessness, and the only way to save it was to destroy all life.

He knew that the other Aspects would not so easily see things his way, and that they would most certainly stand against him. Perhaps a part of him believed that he could truly convince the Aspects to side with him, but that by the time he did Humanity would have ruined the world already. Perhaps that is why, if the records are true, tears fell from his eyes as he performed his next act.

In one single and bloody night, he and his Black Dragonflight betrayed the other Aspects, slaughtering hundreds of Dragons as they slept. In a single night, he had shattered the unity that had bound them for millennia. From that day forth, Neltharion the Earthwarder was dead. From now on, he would be known as Deathwing, the Destroyer.

When news reached the other Aspects, who had been mercifully absent when the betrayal occurred, reacted differently. Alexstrasza was heart broken by the betrayal, Neltharion in times past having been her close friend and confidant. Ysera, in her naivety, believed that a part of Neltharion was not entirely lost and perhaps could even be reasoned with. Malygos was hit the hardest by the betrayal. Neltharion had once been a close friend, and his Blue Dragonflight had been hit harder than the rest, nearly wiped out entirely. It didn't take long until Malygos himself entered a state of depressive madness. Only Nozdormu was unshaken by this catastrophic turn of events, no doubt having foreseen such an event in the time-ways he was charged with protecting.

With the other Aspects broken or scattered, Deathwing and his Black Dragonflight scoured the world, destroying all in their path. Vacuo became a barren wasteland, forever more a sign of the Destroyer's wrath and fury. The Maiden's of this era soon learned of this betrayal, and tried to confront the Black Aspect at his lair. They failed. In one final and desperate attempt, they rallied the broken Dragonflights to one last battle: a battle that would decide the fate of the world.

And so, the Aspects and what was left of their Flights rallied together beneath the Maiden's and did battle with the Black Dragonflight. Dragon fought Dragon, the Aspects and the Maiden's battling Deathwing himself. It was here, that they saw the true depth of his madness. His form, once graceful and majestic, was starting to tear itself apart, magma like blood pouring out of his body, which was held together only by black plates of metal, forged to withstand even the hottest of flames.

Despite having strength in numbers, Deathwing proved too powerful for them. The Aspects were no longer unified in purpose, there was no unity amongst them now that they were shattered. The Maiden's soon came to a dreadful ultimatum: the Aspects would not be able to kill Deathwing. With this knowledge, the Maiden's instead decided to do the next best thing: they would use their power to banish Deathwing, as their mentor the Wizard had done with the Elements.

Pooling their power together, the Maiden's cast a spell on Deathwing, using the very fury of the Elements. They coated his body in flames, blinding him temporarily. Then, they summoned a grand tempest, knocking him down towards the very heart of the sea. They used the water to weigh down his wings, stopping the Destroyer from escaping before summoning fragments of the earth from deep below, imprisoning him forever more.

Without an Aspect to guide them, the Black Dragons panicked and scattered to the wind. Never again would they be seen in such numbers as they had been that day. With Deathwing banished, the Aspects retreated to their lairs with what was left of their Flights, and would never again set eyes on the mortal world. The time of the Dragons had come to an end.

The Maiden's travelled to Deathwing's lair, where they uncovered thousands upon thousands of Dragon eggs, each one dreaming of malicious thoughts as their father had. The Maiden's agreed that together they would wipe away the stain of the Black Dragonflight, until no record of it existed. They started by destroying this clutch of eggs.

The Maiden's then began to hunt down surviving Black Dragons alongside the Grimm, nearly succeeding in destroying the race. This era of Maiden's did however, realise that between guarding the Relics and safeguarding the realm of Man took more time than they could spare. And so the Four Maiden's decided to relinquish the Relics, leaving them in the care of their closest friends. And so the Maiden's, no longer burdened by their Relics, began to hunt both Grimm and Black Dragons. New generations of Maiden's continued this tradition, until at last it seemed the latter had been wiped out, and Dragons in general were treated as legend.

Yet with each generation of Maiden's came a new danger. As Humanity advanced, they began to see the Maiden's powers as a tool for conquest, and the Maiden's soon found themselves hunted by those they sought to protect. And so eventually, the Maiden's went into hiding, until they too became nothing more than a fireside fairy-tail.

Yet, not all of the Black Dragons had been killed. In fact, a great many still lived, but perhaps the most notable one was one saved by the Dragons greatest critic: the Wizard. He had come to watch the aftermath of the Maiden's folly, and realised just why the Aspects weren't unified against their fallen brother: they were only four. There was no Dragon to represent the Aspect of Earth.

He knew that Deathwing would not remain banished forever, and so travelled deep to the Dragons lair as the battle came to a close. There, he used the ancient magic that the Furies had once taught him, and used his powers to purify a single clutch of eggs. Only one egg survived the process long enough to hatch, an uncorrupted Black Whelpling named Ebyssian.

With the baby Dragon in tow, the Wizard abandoned the lair, returning instead to his home in the hills, similar to how the Furies had done with him as a child. The Wizard taught the young Black Dragon many lessons, the two growing close over time. Were Ebyssian a Human or the Wizard a Black Dragon, one could easily believe that they were father and son.

Yet as Ebyssian grew older, so too did the Wizard. His body, long preserved by the essence of the Furies, began to waste away, no doubt the aftermath of cleansing Ebyssian's egg. As he lay on his deathbed though, he told the young Dragon a secret, one that he had never told anyone before. Whilst his body would wither away over time, his spirit would not rest so easily, and would instead latch onto a new body. After a length of time had passed, the Wizards memories would merge with the host, and they would become the new Wizard. They would retain their personality, but they would house the memories and powers of all previous incarnations.

And so Master and Student would never be separated from one another, save for short periods of time. The Wizards spirit would latch to a new body, and Ebyssian would find them. He would act as a council for the new host, telling them of the process that they were going through, and to not be afraid. As time went on however, Ebyssian began to realise that his Draconic form was a danger to him, especially during the periods that the Maiden's hunted his kind. And so he took the form of a Mortal, an innate gift within all Dragons. His form varied from each host to the next, but he always retained the same name: Ebonhorn.


	3. The Mantle Empire

**Chapter 3: The Mantle Empire**

As previously discussed, when the Elements were banished, Dust was left in their wake. Humanity used Dust to their advantage, battling the Grimm and using it also to power their new machines. Eventually, Humanity banded together under the banner of a single clan known as Mantle. Together, they expanded across nearly all of Remnant and forged a glorious Empire known today as The Mantle Empire.

Yet Humanity was not the only race that lived on Remnant, for far away on the island of Menagerie lied the Troll City of Zuldazar, which had stood against the wrath of the Elements for years.

When the Elements suddenly vanished, leaving only Dust, the Trolls were understandably confused. Yesterday, they had been fighting life and limb against the Elemental forces yet now there were these strange crystals in their stead. Curious, the Trolls sent out harvesters to gather this strange material, where they were brought to the High Priests to discuss and deliberate on what to do with the crystals.

The High Priests could sense the raw power that Dust contained, and what wonders it could achieve. But they also sensed great anger and unbridled rage within the Dust, for it was still bound to the Elements that had been imprisoned. Sensing the great distress within the Dust, the High Priests came to a deliberation: Dust was not to be used by the Troll people. In their eyes, Dust was the remains of dark and chaotic forces and therefore could not be trusted. So Troll culture instead stuck to the preferred voodoo magic, which had been perfected over the years and was considered more reliable, voodoo not tending to blow up in a practitioners face if they sneezed when using it.

As the Trolls ebbed out a living in this new world, their people began to grow in number. Soon, Zuldazar could not hold the entire populace, and many smaller villages began to expand. This would lead to disastrous consequences however, as certain tribes began to band together in an attempt to take Zuldazar for their own. These 'collectives' as they were called, were united by common interest or by blood, the most prominent being the Gurubashi, Amani, Farraki and Drakkari.

As long as the Zandalari held control of Zuldazar, they were safe, but their enemies surrounded them on all sides. They knew that it was only a matter of time before the collectives united together to usurp the Zandalari, or for one to attack them whilst they dealt with another. The Zandalari would never give up Zuldazar, so instead they decided to give the collectives another option: to leave Menagerie and colonise the rest of the world, which was now there's for the taking. The collectives agreed, each setting out to sea in search of new lands to colonise.

The Gurubashi collective (consisting of the Gurubashi, Bloodscalp, Shatterspear, Skullsplitter and Darkspear Tribes) travelled East to the jungle forests of Animus, changing their name to the Gurubashi Empire, spanning far and wide from their Temple City of Zul'Gurub. The Amani collective (consisting of the Amani, Mossflayer, Witherbark, Vilebranch, Smolderthorn and Revantusk Tribes) also became an Empire of its own, taking refuge in the Highlands of Sanus, where they spread out from their City of Zul'Aman.

The Farraki collective (consisting only of the Farraki and Sandfury Tribes) became a small Empire deep in the deserts of Sanus, their City of Zul'Farrak a shining jewel in an arid wasteland. The Drakkari collective (consisting of the Drakkari, Frostmane and Winterax Tribes) travelled the furthest north, forging a mighty Empire in Solitas named Zul'Drak, the centre of power being the Temple of Gundrak.

And so the Trolls spread out across the globe at a remarkable rate. Zuldazar would always be considered the Trolls spiritual home, and the new Empires leaders kept in close contact with the High Priests of the Zandalari, strange considering how they had once threatened to overthrow them. Despite the separate Empires functioning differently, even worshipping different Gods, one rule was shared across all the Troll people: never use Dust.

But as with all rules, it was eventually broken. At first the rebellious lot were few in number, and were easily sussed out and executed. Yet soon more and more began to practice the use of Dust. So great had the use of Dust become, the Troll Leaders sought advice from the Zandalari, who had managed to keep Dust use to a low. The Zandalari, seeing themselves as responsible for these new Empires, trained certain Trolls the art of a special art of voodoo. These Trolls were masters of subtlety and assassination, and soon Dust began to go down in use as the Troll people began to fear these mysterious 'Shadow Hunters'.

Yet still, even with the Shadow Hunters policing the Empires, some still used Dust. Yet these Trolls soon began to notice that their bodies were beginning to change, as if mutated by some strange affliction. Realising they could not hide any longer, these individuals left their Cities and lived off of the land. Not many were seen again, but some did survive.

A small group of Jungle Trolls who had banded together to survive were quick to assume that these mutations were the result of Dust exposure, and they were quite right indeed. To avoid further mutations, this group of outcasts decided to never again use the substance and live as deformed hermits. Yet soon they learned that these 'defects' were actually benefits in disguise. They had become more graceful in both appearance and form, and their intelligence had also increased noticeably. These hermits would soon grow into a small civilisation that whilst small, had great potential. They became known as Kaldorei, or more commonly known as Night Elves.

Not only did these Night Elves become more graceful and intelligent, but also became surprisingly in tune with nature. They began to commune not just with one another, but with the land itself, at a far greater scale than their old Troll Priests could. But the Night Elves had settled in the territory of the Green Dragons, who did not take kindly to strangers. Yet the Green Dragons were intrigued by this new race that had appeared out of nowhere. What intrigued them most though was the fact that whilst Humans and Trolls would destroy a forest to build a house, the Night Elves would build around the forest, sometimes using the trees themselves as their houses. And so a deep bond between the two races was formed: the Green Dragons would live alongside the Night Elves as long as they dedicated themselves to safeguarding nature.

The majority of Troll outcasts however did continue to use Dust, and thus mutated even further. Eventually, these outcasts would become known to us as Faunus. The Faunus were Human in appearance, though they also possessed a number of traits from their Troll fore bearers, such as their regeneration and adaptability. Yet perhaps the most striking difference was the number of animal appendages they possessed, from cat like ears to monkey like tails.

Eventually, small pockets of Faunus stumbled upon the Mantle Empire, who were bewildered and fascinated by the Faunus. They were the first non-Human race that they had found that also seemed to hold a degree of intelligence similar to their own. They began to run tests on the Faunus, experimenting with their genetics. Fascination of the Faunus however, soon turned into fear of them, as they soon discovered that the Faunus were superior in terms of DNA structure, and therefore had the potential to usurp them.

So the leaders of the Empire took matters into their own hands. They began to exterminate the Faunus, wiping them clean from history. The Faunus were saved from complete annihilation though when some of the Empires leaders believed that the Faunus' adaptability would make them perfect for the role of working in conditions too dangerous for Humans. And so the Faunus survivors found themselves not with blades at their throats, but with chains.

Realising that the Faunus had to have come from somewhere, the Mantle Empire authorised multiple expeditions into uncharted territories, in the hopes of expanding their Empire, finding 'lesser' races to enslave, and destroying competition.

Most races discovered, such as the Hyena like Gnolls and the Rat faced Kobolds proved too challenging and widespread to break, and were mostly left alone. Many more Faunus communities that had not come into contact with Humanity were rounded up and enslaved like their brethren.

The Night Elves were fortunate and evaded enslavement. Their relation to the Green Dragonflight kept them safe, all Human expeditions into their lands being bombarded by poison breath strafes and guerilla tactics. All Humans who entered Night Elven lands never returned.

The Trolls weren't so lucky. Their cities were discovered with ease, and Humanity entered a swift and brutal war with them. Despite the Trolls adaptability, strength and powerful voodoo magic, the Humans advanced technology and superior numbers proved too much. Even the mighty Shadow Hunters were brought low, cutting down hundred of Humans before falling.

The Humans sacked the Troll Cities, the once proud creatures slipping into myth and legend. The only known City that escaped such devastation was the Zandalari stronghold of Zuldazar, located far away on the island of Menagerie, which was considered a wasteland by Humanity. Many surviving Troll Priests and Chieftains migrated back to Menagerie, regrowing their Tribes in the safety of their walls whilst nursing a deep hatred for all non-Trolls.

Many Tribes remained in the shadows of their Cities, which were abandoned and left to rot by the Humans. These small Tribes would grow in number once again, but the Empires of old would never rise again.

Those Humans who had returned from their campaigns soon found themselves hailed as heroes, with many landmarks built that are still standing. Even today, one can travel to Lothar Square in front of the Schnee Manor, where the statue of the great war hero Anduin Lothar, Lion of Mantle, still stands, unchanged by time. For Humanity, the times that were to come were prosperous, 'the Golden Age' it was called at the time. But the Faunus call it by a different name, 'the Age of Oppression'.

And so for millennia, the Mantle Empire would prosper for generations. Its banner covered nearly the entirety of Remnant, all other noteworthy civilisations either ground to dust like the Trolls or brought to heel like the Faunus. But as the Empire grew, so to did the dangers that faced it. The Grimm were a constant threat, and with only so many Soldiers to spare not all of the Empire could be protected.

Small portions began to fear for their security, and fear drew the Grimm. In order to protect its borders and its people, the authorities of Mantle began to issue near draconian laws, stamping down on peoples rights to express themselves. This new turn had severe consequences, and talks of civil war erupted. It was only a matter of time before words turned to action.

Known today as the Great War, the Civil War engulfed the entirety of the Empire. Once the dust had settled, and the fighting stopped, all that remained of the Mantle Empire was a small City that had escaped ruin. The Empire was no more.

In its place however, four new fledgling Kingdoms arose. These were the Kingdoms known today as Vale, Vacuo, Mistral and Atlas. Yet already, these fledgling Kingdoms were soon under attack by the ravenous Grimm, who had been driven into a frenzy by the Great War.

With no standing Army to protect them, the new Kingdoms held no prayer against the wrath of the Grimm. Once more, Humanity was on the verge of becoming extinct. However, four individuals rose up to fight the Grimm and defended the new Kingdoms. These four individuals were the first Hunters, and were descended from those the Maiden's had entrusted the Relics to long ago.

With the aid of these new warriors, the Kingdoms began to flourish, eventually transforming into the Kingdoms as they are today. The Hunters then offered to help train others the art of Hunting Grimm, asking for nothing in return. The new leaders agreed, and great keeps were built within the four Kingdoms, where future generations of warriors would be trained. These keeps would later be known as the Huntsman Academies of Beacon, Atlas, Haven and Shade.

The Academies also served another purpose, as a vault for the Relics. Now forever more, the Relics would be protected deep within the Academies, with a host of Warriors to protect them.

With the collapse of Mantle, the slave trade that had dominated the Faunus' lives also collapsed. For the first time in years, Faunus had control of their own lives. Yet despite this, the old prejudices of the Empire lingered. Faunus were still being treated as second class citizens, and were frowned upon by local authorities and the general populace. Despite many attempts to appeal to the governing bodies of the new Kingdoms, they were ignored on all accounts. After generations of slavery, the Faunus rose up and openly attacked their Human neighbours.

At first, none took the Faunus threat seriously. During the age of Mantle there had been many slave revolts and all of them were crushed quickly. But this time, the Faunus had access to weapons they didn't have back then, and there were a small number of Humans who did sympathise with the plight of the Faunus.

Using both guerilla tactics and their advanced genealogy, the Faunus began to attack the Human borders, slowly whittling them down through a war of attrition. Eventually, fearing another collapse, the Kingdoms crumbled beneath the demands of the Faunus. For the first time in years, the Faunus were treated with equality. To be-rid themselves of further Faunus related troubles, the Kingdoms offered up the island continent of Menagerie, fully aware that the island was mostly desert.

News eventually reached the Trolls who had been living unopposed for generations. They were outraged that their ancestral home was being given to the Faunus, who in their eyes were traitors to their own kin, having disobeyed their laws and hinting of their existence to the Humans. Yet despite making a stand, the Trolls took peculiar action.

When the first boats containing Faunus arrived, they were greeted not by a Troll war party making a defiant stand, but by no one whatsoever. As far as the Faunus were concerned, they were the only inhabitants of the island.

In truth, the Trolls had retreated back to their City of Zuldazar. Some say that the Trolls are afraid that if they try to fight the Faunus, they would fail and be wiped out, but the that is far from the truth. In reality, the Trolls are preparing for War and are simply waiting for an ample opportunity to strike.


	4. The Children of Deathwing

**The Children of Deathwing**

As previously discussed, Ebyssian was the only uncorrupted Black Dragon alive. But there were other Black Dragons that lived, even after the Maiden's stopped hunting them. Some had managed to thrive in the untamed wilderness, where even Huntsman feared to tread, and others had even taken on the guise of mortals, similar to Ebyssian. But perhaps the most notable of all were the multiple clutches that Deathwing had fathered that remained scattered across the land.

Within each of these scattered clutches were the progeny of Deathwing, but with few Black Dragons left and even fewer who knew of their existence, these eggs often fell prey to either vengeful Dragons from other Flights, Maiden's or simple scavengers that simply lucked out with finding them.

Out of these unfortunate clutches, two Whelplings survived long enough to hatch. Whilst only young, these twin Dragons would grow to become terrible vessels of vengeance and death. Their names were Nefarian and Onyxia.

Already at this young an age, the twins were well aware that their lives were in danger. In order to escape death at the hands of either Maiden or Dragon, they fled to the Dragon Lands to the far west, where no Human had set foot in for millennia. However, they seemed to have traded two dangers for another, for the savage Proto Dragons still existed, and the twin Whelplings were seen as easy prey. The threat of the Grimm was also more apparent here, untamed as the land was by Humans.

They would have died within the first month were it not for fate guiding the two Whelplings to an abandoned Titan Fortress. This great keep had been built by the twin Titan-Forged long ago to serve as a seat of power, and none had dwelt there since their deaths. It was the perfect safe-house for them. They quickly went about redecorating this great keep, turning it into their own dread lair they called 'Blackwing Lair'.

As the twins grew, so did their legend. Soon, news reached the surviving Black Dragons scattered across Remnant of these two children of Deathwing. They travelled to this new home, and there they thrived for generations, unnoticed by all others.

The twin Dragons would continue to grow, and as they did, so did their malevolent behaviour. Onyxia took on the form of a Human noble named 'Lady Katrana Prestor', and she used both her beautiful form and seductive magic to charm her way into the high places of the world, particularly in the land of Atlas.

Nefarian meanwhile, performed crude and torturous experiments. He and his closest followers amongst the Black Dragons travelled the world, capturing both Grimm and Whelplings from other Dragonflights. With these captives, he performed experiments, attempting to combine the two to create a new species: one that had the grace and intelligence of a Dragon, but had the cold instincts of the Grimm.

Fortunately, these hybrids proved volatile and unstable, not many living past their first year without magical assistance, and even then they proved to be stunted and malformed. The only purpose they served were as living bombs, diving into the hearts of curious packs of Grimm and Proto Dragons. Yet despite these failures, Nefarian saw it all as progress in his research.

And so Nefarian and Onyxia continued to grow their forces, mating with other Black Dragons to regrow their Flight. Yet it soon became apparent that if their work was to continue, they would need more than just Dragons.

In ages past, before Neltharion became Deathwing, Dragons were worshipped by the early Humans as Gods. The most devout of these followers were known as 'Dragonsworn', and they would give their life for their Flight. Yet when the Dragons went into hiding, Mortal worship became less and less common, before disappearing all together. The only Flight to continue interacting with Mortal races were the benevolent Green Dragons with the Kaldorei.

Nefarian and Onyxia began to realise that even though they held a low opinion of the Mortal races, they could not deny their uses. Human followers tended to be more subtle in society then any Dragon, and they were more expendable then the Dragons were too. And so they decided to make an army.

Under the guise of a 'Lord Victor Nefarius', Nefarian began to wander the Human kingdoms as his sister did. He searched for someone who was simple enough to trick and manipulate, but also charismatic enough to gather more to their cause. And in Vacuo, he found a suitable target.

In the desert city was a man named Cho'Gall, founder of a doomsday cult called 'the Twilight's Hammer'. The cult was convinced that the end of days were fast upon them, and that it would end in fire and fury as the very world broke apart and only those who believed, who truly believed, would ascend as new Gods. As one would expect, the cult was not taken very seriously.

Nefarian though, had found the perfect pawn. He whispered promises into Cho'Gall's ears, claiming to be the Son of a great and powerful God who would return and remake the world in his image. He promised Cho'Gall and his followers that if they served him, then he would ensure that his Father would ascend them to Godhood when the time for unmaking the world came to pass. All of it was lies, but Cho'Gall believed them.

And so he and his followers grew rapidly in number, becoming a mighty force of their own. Many travelled to Blackwing Lair, where they saw their Dragon masters in the flesh. They would travel the world, gathering more followers or performing missions of great import. This new change delighted Nefarian and Onyxia. Through deceit, they had transformed an innocent (if slightly insane) cult into a zealous militant organisation, one that in the days to come, might rival even the White Fang.

Despite this success though, the cult nearly faced collapse when Cho'Gall, founder and leader of the Twilight's Hammer, was assassinated. A power vacuum was quick to form, but before any blood could be shed, a new leader stepped up to the mantle, a man known only as 'the Twilight Father'. The Twilight Father was so quick to step up to leadership, that many believed that he had assassinated Cho'Gall. But due to the fact that he gained both Nefarian's and Onyxia's blessings, they remained quiet.

In truth, Cho'Gall had outlived his usefulness, and Nefarian and Onyxia selected the Twilight Father as a replacement, ordering him to murder Cho'Gall to prove he was willing to take matters into his own hands. He accepted the task readily.

And so, both the Black Dragonflight and the Twilight's Hammer grew in size and number. Their task was a simple one: to sow chaos and destruction in preparation for their Fathers return.

As they continued their work, the Twilight's Hammer brought an ancient prophecy they had uncovered to their attention. The prophecy, whilst extremely vague, told that when a Maiden fell from grace and a Champion did yield to death, then the World would break and their Father would return.

Nefarian and Onyxia were overjoyed at this news, but their joy turned to ash when they heard the prophecy in full:

 _When Unity is shattered as it was before,_

 _When a Maiden falls from grace,_

 _When a Champion heels at Death's door,_

 _He will return to hallowed place._

 _The land will weep and the world shall break,_

 _Black wings will fold as Twilight falls,_

 _Yet Death will claim the Blackwing Drake,_

 _From Silver Eyes, justice calls._

The twin Dragons were confused by the prophecy, particularly of the final line. The Silver Eyed warriors were ancient legend, able to kill Grimm with a single glance. Their confusion though, paled in comparison to their anger. They were furious that their work would be undone, by a mere Mortal no less. They immediately ordered their Twilight's Hammer and Black Dragon forces to find and slaughter every last man, woman and child who had Silver Eyes, regardless if they held the gift or not.

And so their forces obeyed readily, murdering thousands of innocents in the dead of night. For a time, Nefarian and Onyxia relaxed. Yet they would soon be troubled once more when news reached them of a child named Summer Rose. A child who had Silver Eyes. Rather than panic as they had before, they decided to make sure Summer would never be a threat to their plans themselves.

First, they baited Summer Rose away from the safety of her home in Vale, Black Dragons herding Grimm far away to a village near Mistral. The plan worked. Summer travelled to Mistral and the trap was sprung. First came a horde of Grimm, the vile beasts being easily defeated by a combination of Summer's prowess and her heritage. Next they sent Twilight Assassins after her, their deadly poisoned blades cutting through her Aura and into flesh. She defeated them too, but a combination of the poison and her own fighting made her weak and vulnerable. Just as they had hoped.

In the end, Nefarian and Onyxia themselves arrived to finish what they had started, having worn her down with the Grimm and Assassins. Despite the odds being against her, and her body slowly weakening from fatigue and poison, Summer fought on bravely, fighting for several hours before her weapons finally fell from her hands, and she slumped to the ground defeated.

It was there that Nefarian and Onyxia performed one final act of malice. Using dark magic, Onyxia tore Summer's soul from her body, ripping it to shreds. Still alive, Nefarian then proceeded to devour her whole, slowly whilst causing as much pain as possible.

With spirits high, Nefarian and Onyxia returned back to Blackwing Lair, hearing no more tales of children with Silver Eyes. As far as they knew, all trace of the ancient line had been snuffed out. But they had failed, for Summer had had a child, a child that possessed the ancient gift. A child named Ruby Rose.


	5. Recent History

**Chapter 5: Recent Events**

And so, the tale comes now to a close. All these events have been leading to a single point: the Vytal Festival. For years this event has been a symbol of the kingdoms undying unity between one another, but now, dark forces wish to use the Tournament for their own ends.

A woman called Cinder Fall has been hunting down the Fall Maiden, and during the Tournament, she will strike. It is not debatable if she will succeed or not, for it is inevitable. She will gain the full power of the Fall Maiden. This is exactly what her Mistress, Salem, wishes for. It is unknown who this individual works for. A servant of the Void Lord Annihilon? Or perhaps she is something else entirely.

But her plans pale in comparison to that of the Black Dragons and the Twilight's Hammer. They are fully aware of Salem's plans, and that is when they will strike. Already the Twilight's Hammer is mobilised in all the kingdoms, ready to unleash the full power of their Gods. Perhaps more troubling are the dangerous magic the cult is now dabbling in. They have begun to reach deep down into the Elemental Planes, ripping them from their realm and then binding them with black magic. Some have gone a step further, and have merged their spirit with that of Elementals. These Elemental Ascendant's are gifted with great power and mastery of the Elements, at the cost of their own form and sanity.

Nefarian continues with his experiments, and at long last he has succeeded. Reports are coming in of strange Grimm that look like Dragons and breathe purple fire. The Twilight Grimm have been born. Onyxia also continues her mascaraed in Atlas, having taken a particular interest in the affairs of the Schnee Dust Company. Some claim she is grooming the young Whitley Schnee, though for what purpose, none know. And any who dare question her motives have an unnatural tendency to simply vanish.

Even the other Dragonflights have come under threat from outside sources. Ysera of the Green Dragonflight has entered a comatose state, no one, not even her Consort Eranikus, can wake her from this state. Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage, co-leader of the Kaldorei, has attempted to wake the Green Aspect, only to fall into the same coma as she. The Kaldorei are now in a state of political chaos, the mantle of leadership vied for by Archdruid Fandral Staghelm, a long known rival of Malfurion, and High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind, the lover and former co-leader of the Kaldorei.

The Blue Dragonflight have also entered a state of despair once again. Malygos, the insane leader of the Blue Dragons, is beginning to die. With the Aspect on his deathbed, his son Arygos claims the mantle of leadership, though he is denied by Malygos' advisor Senegos, on the grounds that he is just as insane as his father, perhaps more so.

Far away on the island of Menagerie, things are perhaps just as dire. The Trolls of Zuldazar have been whipped into a fury, and are preparing for war. Guided by the Prophet Zul the Troll High King, Rastakhan, is preparing for a takeover of all of Menagerie. Upon their Saurian War Mounts and with their voodoo magic, the Faunus would stand little chance. The greatest threat the Trolls pose however, is if they don't stop with Menagerie. They have no love for the Humans, and now with the Mantle Empire dissolved, there would be no standing army to stop them. Many in the Temple City now dream of the return of the Troll Empire's, and this dream is coming closer to reality.

But perhaps the most dire news comes from the earthquakes that are rocking the land. At first sporadic and weak, over the past year they have grown more frequent and powerful. Entire islands have sunk beneath the waves, and chunks of continents have crashed to the sea floor. Those who observe the earthquakes have noticed a pattern, though they know not what it means. But I do. These earthquakes can mean only one thing: Deathwing is returning, and when he does, he will tear the very world apart with his grand entrance.

I have always known this day would come, and I also have the power to stop it, to wipe away all life so that it may begin anew. Yet I don't. Many would ask me "Why don't you?". I have had ample opportunities to do so on many occasions: the death of the Titan-forged, the madness of Neltharion, Humanities prejudice, the return of the Black Flight and of course the events that are to come to pass. Perhaps others of my kind would, and question once again "Why don't you?"

To that, I say this: because I have hope. And that is worth something, is it not?

Signed Eudaemus, Archon of the Constellar and Guardian of Remnant.

 **00000000**

 **So, that's it, the full history of this AU. Whether you like it or not, I don't know, but I did enjoy doing it all nonetheless. Now note that this is NOT the last chapter. There will be another chapter that will be added on February 4th. This final chapter will be more in line with my actual stories and will actually portray Deathwing's return to the world of Remnant. Then on February 18th I will release the first novel of this saga which will be called 'The Child of Prophecy'. Until then, I hope you enjoy this short history.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	6. Xaxas

**Hello everyone, I present to you the final chapter. This chapter will focus on the return of Deathwing during the already calamitous events of the Battle of Beacon. Then, the story will officially begin on February 18th, when the first chapter of a new saga will premier called 'The Child of Prophecy'. Now without further ado, let the shattering commence.**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 6- Xaxas**

" **Pain..."**

The earth heaved at the sound of the voice, the ear-splitting quake that followed sounding almost like a hammer hitting the anvil with such force as to shatter the tool.

" **...Agony..."**

There was another quake, followed by another, and another until it almost sounded like the rhythmic beating of war drums, always sounding at a steady pace.

" **My hatred burns throughout the cavernous deeps!"** the voice proclaimed, sounding as deep and rich as the earth that surrounded it.

With another heave, it brought its bulk against the stone walls of its prison as it had done fruitlessly for so long now. This time, the stone trembled, a fragment suddenly falling off with a great snap and landing on the back of the beast. The armour that it wore protected it from serious injury, but still it sent rounds of pain surging through his body. And with that, he let out a roar of pure adrenalin as he continued his furious assault on his prison.

 **00000000**

Ruby sped up to the peak of the main tower, where Jaune had said Pyrrha was. Another earthquake shook the land, causing her to yell out in surprise as she nearly lost her footing on the curved walls. The Dragon Grimm at the very peak of the tower let out a victorious roar as it landed on the stone floor above her. She needed to hurry up if she was going to be of any help, she needed-

A scream of pain made her freeze in her ascent. That scream...it was Pyrrha!

She now hurried at renewed pace, climbing ever higher with each stride. As she neared the apex of the tower, she unsheathed _Crescent Rose_ , ready to unleash her fury on the Dragon Grimm. As she landed, she froze at the sight. The Dragon Grimm was on the far side of the tower, whilst Pyrrha was knelt in the centre, an arrow piercing her ankle. And stood in front of her was Cinder...what was she doing here? And why was she aiming her Bow at Pyrrha?

That was when the realisation hit her, and before she could even yell out in protest, Cinder let the arrow fly, hitting Pyrrha in the centre of her chest. The champion of Mistral let out a sudden gasp of air as her own eyes went wide, before she began to tilt back. Before she could go too far though, Cinder reached forward and pressed a finger on her temple, her body quickly disintegrating into a flurry of embers, leaving only her golden diadem which clattered to the floor with a hollow sound.

Another earthquake suddenlly shook the land, nearly toppling the tower with its force. The Dragon Grimm let out a panicked roar as it leapt into the air, quickly circling the tower for a new purchase. Cinder herself seemed taken aback by the quake, stumbling around on the spot before falling on her back, letting out a grunt of protest as she landed hard. Ruby took this as her opportunity, quickly darting forward and snatching the diadem off of the floor and holding it protectively. She turned to face Cinder, her vision blurred by the tears that now streamed down her face as the traitor began to stand.

When Cinder finally looked up to face Ruby, there was a pause, almost as if she couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. But it didn't take long before her lips twisted into a cruel smile and she let out a haunting laugh. She drew the Bow back again for another shot, but there was another earthquake, this one far more chaotic and destructive than the last few. Both Cinder and Ruby tumbled and fell, the formers Bow spinning wildly off the edge as another quake shook the tower.

Ruby wasn't sure, but she was confident she heard a faint roar during the last quake.

Cinder seemed unhindered by the loss of her Bow, seemingly conjuring another Bow out of thin air as she aimed at Ruby once more. The arrow flew true, Ruby diving to the side in a mad attempt to dodge the projectile, but the arrow still struck her in the side, causing her to let out a yell of pain as the arrow burned through her flesh, leaving a nasty wound. Cinder chuckled mirthfully as she readied another arrow, but paused as a confused look appeared on her face.

Something queer was happening to the girl. Her skin seemed to lighten slightly, and a white glow began to emerge from her eyes. No, not white...silver. Cinders eyes went wide in shock and horror soon after, as Ruby let out a primal yell. Silver streams of energy burst out of her sockets as she screamed, the energy snaking around everything and everyone in sight. The Dragon Grimm let out a roar of pain as the bands of energy wormed their way into its hide, bursting out of every orifice in its body.

"WHAT?!" was all Cinder could yell, before the energy soon wormed its way into her. Soon any attempt to speak on her part was met instead by screams as she flailed mercilessly on the spot.

Soon, the light died down, and Ruby toppled forward exhausted. Cinder lay there, her body twitching and convulsing on the spot as the Dragon Grimm fell from the sky, landing far down below with a dull thud. Another earthquake quickly shook the land, this time, the foundations of the school no longer able to handle the strain. The last thing Ruby remembered seeing before darkness claimed her was the ground rapidly approaching, only for a dark shape to swoop down and gently pluck her from the air.

 **00000000**

Ebyssian let out a relieved sigh as he handled the unconscious body of Ruby gently in his talons. His great wings bore him swiftly to the ground, where he then gently laid the child on the ground. He turned his head swiftly at the sound of people approaching, his eyes narrowing slightly. The first to reach the scene before any other was a man in a white long sleeved shirt with a dull tattered cloak and grey ragged hair, a large Sword in his hands. Upon seeing the Ebyssian's great Draconic form, the furrowed glare on his face suddenly vanished, the man nodding his head in acknowledgement.

"Do not worry," Ebyssian reassured, his voice as gravelled as the earth he was destined to protect. "the Girl will live."

"Thank God, Ebonhorn." Qrow responded, using the Dragon's Mortal name to address him. "Those lights...was that-"

"I'm afraid so, Qrow." Ebyssian nodded. "Any word of Ozpin?"

"I'm sorry old lizard." Qrow said, shaking his head slowly. "He's gone. All that's left was his staff."

Ebyssian let out a sigh at this, lowering his great head in response. Suddenlly there was another quake, and more of the tower began to fall. Without a word of warning, Ebyssian folded his wings over the pair, the dull sounds of rock splitting against scaled hide echoing faintly around them. Ebyssian then shook his wings, ridding them of the residue dust and debris that had not fallen.

"Listen to me Qrow," Ebyssian began, shaking his great head to rid his horns of any smaller rocks. "Guard the Relic with your life! If they get it, you know what will happen. These earthquakes are no coincidence, my Father is returning, and they'll be after them. But most importantly you must protect Her! They will be after Her, now that her gift is revealed."

"What about you?!" Qrow asked, quickly tucking his arms under Ruby to carry her.

"Ozpin maybe gone, but his Soul will anchor to someone soon." Ebyssian explained as he turned to take off. The voices were getting closer now, it was only a matter of time before they reached them. "I'm going to find him before the Hammer does. If anyone asks, tell them that Ebonhorn died in the assault, my task will be made easier then!"

Qrow nodded his head in response, watching as the great Black Wyrm flew off into the distance, becoming nothing more but a black speck in the distance. Another quake shook the earth, this one far more savage than any of the others. Qrow turned and ran out of the shadow of the school, towards the fast approaching voices. He was greeted immediately by a troop of Atlesian Soldiers and some of the Students of the school, the lead one suddenlly freezing on the spot and letting out a horrified gasp.

"Ruby!" Weiss gasped as she rushed forward, stopping only a few feet in front of the veteran Huntsman carrying her. "Is she…"

"She's alive, but we need to get moving, now!" Qrow replied, brushing past the Students and Soldiers to where the evacuation was taking place. "We need to hurry before-"

Another quake suddenly followed, flooring all of them with a chorus of surprised yells. Qrow was the first to get up, readjusting his grip on Ruby when another quake followed, but the sound of the earth splitting was drowned out by something that made his blood freeze.

A roar.

He turned instead to the sea, where a mass explosion and blanket of fire was headed, at its lead a black shape that was growing bigger with every second.

"Oh god..." Qrow murmured as he watched the shape approach. "He's returned."

 **00000000**

The beast continued with its attempts to escape, smashing its head against the walls of its prison. He felt the world above break and split. A desert in Vacuo suddenly split open, swallowing the small village that had settled there. A tower with a docked transport ship in Atlas suddenly collapsed, sending the vessel crashing into a building of great import in a cloud of flame. A tidal wave swallowed the eastern coast of Animus, drowning all in its path.

" **The world heaves with my torment!"** the voice bellowed, continuing with its attempts to break free. **"Its wretched Kingdoms quake, beneath my rage!"**

It slammed its body again against the wall, this time, sending a large chunk of earth falling to the ground. Water hissed out, causing steam to fog up his prison. His eyes glinted with a sudden maddening glee. He reared up and roared as he flew upwards, blasting his way out of his prison. The water parted for him as fire billowed out behind him. He let out a roar of triumph as he flew towards the city of Vale, his very voice sending loose pieces of debris on the pier flying.

" **But now, at last, the whole of Remnant will break!"** he proclaimed, speeding over the pier, sending more debris flying before it was consumed by the fires. With every beat of his wings, buildings toppled and fell, even those that had escaped harm to that point. Fire wormed its way throughout the streets, burning Human, Faunus and Grimm alive.

" **And all will burn, beneath the shadow of my wings!"**

He flew upwards once more, the flames that had followed him finally peeling away from his body as he descended onto what remained of the ruins of Beacon. He landed heavily, raising his claws and adjusting them so he could raise his body up. He looked around the courtyard, where the Mortal races looked at him with both awe and fear. Many turned to run, whilst many more were frozen in place.

" **The sun sets on this Mortal world fools!"** he roared, the very earth seemingly shaking from his voice. **"Make peace with your end, for the Hour of Twilight falls!"**

And with that, he let out a mighty roar as he descended onto the courtyard, burning all in his path. The statues on the fountain toppled over as he continued on his mad march, for nothing would stop him now. He was Deathwing, the Destroyer, the end of all things. Inevitable, indomitable, he was the Cataclysm.

And the Hour of Twilight was nigh.

 **00000000**

 **So yeah, that's it. The sequel 'The Child of Prophecy' will premier on the 18th and that'll be that.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


End file.
